Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-02-05
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BOWEN Il K1NGsBDRY Prop'trs.
Exception is taken by the Sioux City
Journal to the proposition to create
state. or two states. from the domain of
Dakota. through the intervention of the
territorial Legislature aud without the
assistance of the congress OF the Uuited
States. 1t is the plan outlined in .
recent issue of the Press and Dakotaian
to which the Journal excerpts. its OBJ
lection is based upon the broad PROPOSE.
tion that such action would amount to
revolution. As revolution consists,
technically, of q change from one form
of government to another form Of gov
ernmept, we will not stop to deny that
the Journal is correct in its conclusions.
But by the proposed commission OF an
act of so-called revolution no violence is
intended. nothing extraordinary is medi-
teted. The proposition is merely to do
that which has been done great many
times-change from territorial to .
state form of government.
TIE journal, however, insiats that it is
wrong to contemplate action in the di-
rection of statehood outside of the sanc.
tion and authority Of congress-, and
that to move in the direction of
statehood in any other way
than over course prescribed by nation
al law would be revolution. 1t is more
than possible that the Journal would
have used the word rebellion, instead OF
revolution, 5ba: ba:: for the hsrsh significance.
OF the stronger term. We of Dakota
oannot understand why our territory
should be denied the privileges under
which many other territories have
achieved self government and fixed their
statehood boundaries and put in motion
the machinery of home rule, Though the
Journal Is printed in the state of lowe
It appears nn1nindEnl Of The histnr. of
its own statehood organization and ap-
plies the term "revolutionists" to an
element 10 Dakota which proposes to do
no more in the direction of revolution
than was undertaken and accomplished
by the brave hearted pioneers of Iowa.
In the beginning of the statehood
efforts OF the territory of Iowa congress-
passed an enabling act authorizing the
adoption OF a constitution under certain
prescribed boundaries for the state.
These boundaries did not satisfy the
people of Iowa. By the lines prescribed
was created state long north and south
and narrow east and west, state as
much unlike the present state of lowe as
the state of Florida Is unlike Iowa. Two
constitutions we're adopted under the
auspices OF this enabling act and both
constitutions were rejected at the polls
by the people, and all attempt to form
state under an enabling act were then
abandoned.
After this had occurred the territorial
legislature of Iowa called constitu-
tional convention by its own authority
and this constitutional convention
assembled and adopted constitution.
In that constitution was prescribed the
boundaries of the state OF Iowa as they
now are, and the constitution was rati-
fed at the polls. We desire to ask the
Journal, was that revolution? Iowa con-
stituted itself state not only indepen-
IDENTIFY of "a arrangement of congress,
but in direct opposition to such an ar
rangement, and in SO constituting itself
it operated by authority of the legis-
lature OF Iowa and not by au-
thority Of the congress of the
United States. In the case OF Iowa was
itrevolution in the sense in which the
term is now applied to Dakota?
Iowa went even further than this, by
authority of the legislative assembly
only, at the time of the ratification of
it's constitution by the vote OF the
people, it elected full complement of
state officers and those state officers
proceeded to take possession of the GOV
ernmeDt and prepared to announce Iowa
as state. At this juncture Iowa was
recognized by the nationa! governments
as q state, under the constitution and
with the boundaries adopted by an
thority OF its legislature. According to
the logic OF che Journal this would have
been revolution again had not the
national authorities yielded at the
critical moment and saved the state in
which the Journal is printed from dis.
graciDg itself to that extent. Bat the
fact stands that the state OF Iowa created
itself through process similar to the
one to which the Journal takes excep-
tion when 1t is applied to the territory
of Dakota. The only difference be-
tween the two cases is that Iowa was
originally presented with an enabling
act. But it cast that document aside,
disobeyed its mandates, ignored the
voice OF congress. overturned Law es-
tabiishing Its boundaries and emerged .
self declared state OF its own creation,
claiming domain selected by itself aud
in defiance OF congress. Was that revoiu-
tionaIy? S
We have selected the state cf Iowa
from many other staten which cast off
their territorial condition in def lnce Of
congress because it il the state within